New 2018 i3s owner

[lucas2497]

Picked up a new 2018 i3s in capparis white with the driver and tech pkg and sunroof. Msrp little over $58k. Leased at 24/10k $385 with $3885 due at signing along with 2 years free ChargeNow program and bmw dealer courtesy charing is a steal. To my surprise the advertised electric range has been well over 100 miles. With temps rising here in the northeast I have averaged 120-125 miles in eco pro or eco pro+ mode. My vehicle average says 3.9 kwh but with these numbers I'm doing more around 4.4kwh. The last charge estimated a range of close to 135 miles. Is this what other 2018 i3s owners see as well?



Lucas

[alohart]

To my surprise the advertised electric range has been well over 100 miles. With temps rising here in the northeast I have averaged 120-125 miles in eco pro or eco pro+ mode. My vehicle average says 3.9 kwh but with these numbers I'm doing more around 4.4kwh.

Are you describing your actual driving range or the estimated driving range? Your displayed average efficiency of 3.9 mi/kWh is real whereas estimated ranges are just estimates.

The nominal usable capacity of a 2018 i3's battery packs is 27.2 kWh. So with your average efficiency, you could expect an actual maximum range of 3.9 mi/kWh * 27.2 kWh = 106 mi. But that's also an estimate because a battery pack's usable capacity varies with temperature and with how fast it is discharged.

[GeorgeC1]

I see between 130 to 150 miles advertised range on a full charge. 2018 standard i3 with a Rex. That’s seems optimistic however. My round trip to the local airport is 52 miles. Drive there and home with car sitting for 3 days leaves me showing 68 to 70 miles range left. I don’t use any eco modes however and have cruise set for 75 to 80 mph.

[lucas2497]

Hi folks,

My best all electric range was about 122.4mi with 8 miles remaining. The onboard computer always says 3.9mi kWh. My worst mileage and this was strictly done to see how wasteful I can be with sport mode on, heat set at 74F, some rain and roughly 45F outside and all highway miles with Cruise control set at betweet 75-80MPH. My average on the app read 2.9mi kWh and I drove 78.8 miles with 9 miles of range remaining. Overall I am very pleased with the vehicle and the range is acceptable.

[TomMoloughney]

To my surprise the advertised electric range has been well over 100 miles. With temps rising here in the northeast I have averaged 120-125 miles in eco pro or eco pro+ mode. My vehicle average says 3.9 kwh but with these numbers I'm doing more around 4.4kwh.

Are you describing your actual driving range or the estimated driving range? Your displayed average efficiency of 3.9 mi/kWh is real whereas estimated ranges are just estimates.

The nominal usable capacity of a 2018 i3's battery packs is 27.2 kWh. So with your average efficiency, you could expect an actual maximum range of 3.9 mi/kWh * 27.2 kWh = 106 mi. But that's also an estimate because a battery pack's usable capacity varies with temperature and with how fast it is discharged.

I know the listed usable capacity is 27.2, but I believe we actually get closer to 30 kWh. I, too am averaging closer to 120 miles per charge with a 3.8mi/kWh average.

[alohart]

I know the listed usable capacity is 27.2, but I believe we actually get closer to 30 kWh. I, too am averaging closer to 120 miles per charge with a 3.8mi/kWh average.

"Tesla" Bjørn Nyland estimated ~30 kWh of usable capacity on a 94 Ah i3 as well. Seems that BMW has rated the usable capacity conservatively.

Or maybe a software update has reduced the unusable buffer sizes to free up more usable capacity based on low battery pack degradation rates. With the same percentage of unusable capacity buffer sizes as the 60 Ah battery pack, a 94 Ah battery pack would have (94 Ah / 60 Ah) * 18.8 kWh = 29.5 kWh assuming the same nominal cell voltages. However, I believe the nominal 94 Ah cell voltage is a bit lower than that of the 60 Ah cell which would make my calculation a bit inaccurate.

[jadnashuanh]

The rated range is determined by following a scripted driving regimen that few people would ever follow and it only does a small portion of higher velocity running. Plus, it's all done on a dynamometer, so you don't have the aerodynamic factor thrown in.

The community average for efficiency (if you believe BMW's app) is around 4mi/kwhr. 2.9 is quite a bit off. Some people have reported as much as nearly 7, the best I've ever seen on mine was about 6.5, but average closer to that 4 the community reports. 75-80 mph is going to suck up energy. There's a squared factor in there, so the difference is not linear. 80*80/60*60=1.777x more aerodynamic drag at 80 verses 60. Speed does matter a lot. The i3 isn't bad with a cd factor, but the i3s is worse, making the effect more of a factor. Wider tires affect not only the aerodynamic drag, but also the rolling drag and there are other things on the i3s that affect it as well. Can't have your cake and eat it, too.

Bottom line, if you need to go further on a single charge...slow down.

[lucas2497]

Great info here, loving the inputs from you guys. Last night trip results with all highway driving, ecopro+ and cruise set at 57MPH. Temps around 50F and wind gusts around 15MPH:



6.5mi kWh sounds wonderful. Conditions must be ideal for such achievement, I assume. But I'm happy with what this i3s is capable. In a way this is my cake and I'm devouring it. Hehe

[jadnashuanh]

The ecopro modes do a couple of things that you can almost replicate yourself in comfort mode, but it's easier to achieve by letting the computer do it.

They limit the acceleration (make the pedal less responsive).
They progressively diminish the output and strict temperature control of the HVAC system.
It can put a maximum speed limit (can be overridden if you push harder, sort of like a forced downshift on an ICE).

I may have forgotten some of the effects, but it's all discussed in the manual.

[04EVR]

Hi ,can anyone advise me about using the Rex range when I hold the State of Charge at 70%. I am hoping to drive on the Rex and then replenish the petrol more than once, estimated Rex range 88 miles. As traveling north there are very few public charging points. Since owning the i3s from October 2018 I haven't let the electric range run low as I charge the car every evening with the home charger cable.

thanks 04EVR